Abused
by Time Lady Evangeline
Summary: Merlin has always done everything Arthur asks. Now he's run-down, desperately needing a break, on the verge of breaking. But does Arthur seem to care? No! However, as Merlin delves deeper, he realizes that perhaps there is something more to his friend's ignorance. (Abused!Arthur)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybody! New story here! I like the idea this one is based on, and I'm excited to see what happens! I hope all of you enjoy it! ****J**** If you guys have a suggestion for a Supernatural fanfiction, please, I'm all ears! I really want to write one, but I need an idea. (This chapter has been edited and re-uploaded, thanks to everyone who gave me a heads-up. I went through and read it, and I realized that when I copy/pasted it, my whole story got jacked up! I was doing it from my school tablet. Thanks again guys!)**

"MERLIN! I'm an hour late for the council meeting, you fool! Hurry up, hurry up!"

"Sorry sire!" Merlin tied his master's boots quickly. "You're finished, go!" He shoved him towards the door, but Arthur grabbed onto his shirt.

"If I've got to sit through the meeting, you've got to be there too!" Arthur began running to the council room. "My father's not going to be happy…" He

muttered, finally slowing as they arrived. Arthur took a deep breath and made his way in, swiftly taking his seat. Uther looked at his son, his gaze holding quiet

anger. Merlin leaned close to Arthur's ear.

"I'm sorry." All Arthur did was nod, listening to what little was left of the meeting. As the people cleared out, Uther called him over. Merlin trailed close

behind. Once everyone had gone, Uther began to speak.

"How could you embarrass me like this, boy?!" Arthur lowered his head.

"I am sorry, Father. It is inexcusable."

Merlin stepped forward. "My lord, I am to blame. I failed to complete my duties to the proper extent. I made him late."

"Merlin, don't." Arthur urged.

"Don't try to cover for me, Arthur! Sire, it was my fault, I assure you."

"Is this so?" Uther said, looking Merlin up and down. "Well then, we'll have to have you put into the stocks. Guards, take him!" Before either of the boys

could object, Merlin was seized by his upper arm and pulled down to the ever-so-familiar feeling of rotten fruit and vegetables being thrown at his head.

He had been there for at least an hour before Gwen came to him. "Merlin?" He groaned in response, and another head of bad lettuce was thrown at him. "I'd

come to talk to you, but it doesn't seem like you're in the position to do much of that."

"Not in a great mood, either." Merlin added, letting his head droop as he sighed.

"I can see that. Do you need anything?"

"Not at the moment."

"Alright then… I've got to go now, but you know where to find me."

He was stuck there for another hour before guards were finally sent to release him. He sighed wearily and straightened his back, going to wash up before

heading to meet Arthur, who was training the knights.

"Did you have fun, Merlin?" Arthur smirked.

"Oh, shut up." He replied grouchily. He was walking with a slight limp, not that Arthur would notice. He was such an arrogant prat, what would he care if his

servant was having trouble? He certainly wouldn't.

"I tried to cover for you, Merlin! You just _had _to step in."

"Whatever." Merlin finished out his duties for the day, and was finally dismissed after serving Arthur his dinner. He wandered down into the courtyard, not

quite ready to go home to Gaius, who would no doubt give him more chores. Gwen happened to be getting water from the well pump when he entered the stone

square.

"Are you alright?" That was the first thing she asked him, immediately noticing his limp and the weary expression on his face. Not to mention the dark

shadows under his eyes and the ghostly paleness of his skin, almost translucent. Merlin didn't answer, just gave her a look that showed his pure exhaustion. "Do you

want to talk about it?"

Merlin made his way to a short wall and sat down on top of it, relieving the pain shooting from his ankle. Gwen tentatively sat beside him. "What's wrong?"

She asked him. She put her hand down between them as she shifted slightly to face him.

"It's Arthur! He's driving me crazy, working me harder than I can go! And he doesn't even care! Sometimes it feels like I'm drowning, Gwen, and I don't

know how much longer I can last. Arthur doesn't care, he and Uther-"

"Uther," She interrupted, "is a cruel and heartless man. But I know you don't see that in Arthur. You can see as well as I do that he's different."

"Gwen!" He said, lacking the firmness he'd hoped for. "I'm tired and weak, Gwen. I think I've sprained my ankle too, but does Arthur care? No. I need a

break. I don't ask for very much, do I? I do everything I can, but it doesn't seem to matter. I hardly have time to provide for myself because I'm running around

doing every bit of work he can dream up! I can't remember the last time I've eaten or slept properly!"

"Merlin, Arthur has a lot on his shoulders, as do you. I know he can be arrogant, and pompous, but he really does care."

"I don't think I can do it anymore. Perhaps I should resign…"

"You can't do that!" Gwen blurted, quickly composing herself before continuing. "He needs you, Merlin. You're the only one he really trusts. He has to have

you beside him."

"He doesn't act like it! He's running me into the ground!"

"Please, Merlin. Promise me you won't quit."

"Whatever. I need to go have Gaius check my ankle. Goodnight." He stood and began to walk away. Gwen stood behind him, watching his back as she bit her

lip and clenched her fists, her heart rate and breaths quickening. She gave in.

"Merlin, wait!" She ran in front of him, placing her hands on his chest. She looked up at him desperately, tears forming in her eyes. "You don't know-you

haven't seen… what's been happening."

"What are you talking about?" Gwen took a deep, shaky breath as she tried to stop her tears before they fell.

"I had suspected, with the way Arthur had been so desperate to please Uther as of late, the panicked expression he would get when he realized he had done

something wrong. But it wasn't until today, after the meeting, that I was-that I was sure he-he..." Gwen sobbed once, covering her eyes with her arm, but keeping

the other hand firmly against Merlin's chest. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, alright, Gwen. I'll try and be nicer to him, but right now, I've really got to go have Gaius check my ankle." He tried to let her go, and started to walk

away. He felt almost criminal leaving her there like that. She ran in front of him again, shoving him as hard as she could to be sure he stopped.

"You misunderstand!" Her fingers entwined themselves in Merlin's shirt as she fought to find the words without breaking down. "After the meeting, I saw

them take you away, and I stayed watching Arthur and his father. I hid beside a wall. Uther was so angry, his voice rose louder and louder at Arthur. And well,

Arthur, he was so… so afraid." Gwen's voice trembled terribly. "Uther grabbed his shoulders tight, and slammed him into the wall. He took his left hand…" She looked

at her hand on Merlin's chest, as if it were Uther's. "He thrust his fist into Arthur's stomach. I could see how much it hurt him, not just on the outside. Arthur fell to

his knees, gasping and holding his stomach. Uther looked down at him so, so very coldly, and took his fist again, striking Arthur in the temple as he strode off. God,

he's hurting him, he's hurting him! I don't know what to do, Merlin!"

Raw and bitter anger gripped the manservant's heart as he held tighter to Gwen. He didn't know what to say, what could he say? There were no words to

express the rage building in his soul towards the king. He let Gwen go, and began walking towards the castle with a purpose. "Where are you going?" She asked him,

jogging to keep up.

"Uther." She froze, grabbing his wrist tightly. He turned to face her.

"You can't do that! Think about it, Merlin. What could you possibly do?"

"Well I'm not just going to sit around and let this happen!"

"If you go to the king directly, not only are you likely to be punished, maybe even exiled or executed, but you will bring more wrath upon Arthur. Do you

really want to hurt him more? I want to do something for him as much as you do, but we have to tread carefully. Anything we do could hurt him more."

Merlin sighed. "What should we do?"

"Just talk to him. See if you can get him to say anything about it. It will make him more comfortable thinking that he was the one who told you." Merlin

nodded.

"We're gonna help him, Gwen. I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys I'm back! Sorry, I've been neglecting this story to devote myself to another Merlin fanfic on my account, "You Are My Friend, Now and Forevermore" I'm actually very proud of that one :) Anyways, here's a new chapter!**

Arthur lay on his bed, too weak to pull himself into it. He was still fully dressed, and _wow _did his chest hurt. Actually, everything hurt. He'd never tell anyone, though. How could he? His father was the king, it wasn't as if anyone could actually help him. Plus, the closest thing he had to a real friend was Merlin, and he had yet to notice anything was wrong. Besides, he should be strong enough, he told himself. He should be able to handle the pain.

Yet at the same time, he knew he couldn't. It wasn't just the physical pain, it was seeing the surge of bitter hate in his father's eyes, making him want to retreat further into the dark recesses of his mind, just so that perhaps he could find some brief escape from the thoughts and pain… all that _pain…_ that tormented him.

There was a knock at the door. Arthur looked over, struggling to pull himself up straight up into a sitting position. He took a deep, painful breath before speaking. "Enter." To his surprise, Merlin came through the door. "What are you doing here? I dismissed you." Arthur casually moved his hand to his bruised temple, attempting to hide it. Merlin already knew it was there, he had seen it the moment he entered, and again the rage began to build up inside him.

"I know, I just thought you might want me to get you ready for bed." Arthur thought about it for a moment, and realized that there was no way he would be able to do it on his own.

"Alright then. Fetch my nightclothes." Merlin did so, carefully watching Arthur's every move… or rather, lack of movement. The prince hadn't even come to his dressing curtain. Instead, he sat rather uneasily on his bed, and it didn't look as if he planned to move anytime soon. So, Merlin brought the clothes to him. Now that he was looking, Merlin couldn't believe he'd missed how much pain Arthur was in.

In fact, Arthur could hardly stand up. His breath labored and he shook terribly, holding onto the bedpost. Whatever training he'd done with the knights that day must have aggravated his condition to an almost unbearable point. Still, Merlin didn't want to jump into it straight away, so he eased it onto him. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Fine." Merlin sighed, pulling the shirt over Arthur's head. He winced in pain when he raised up his arms, Merlin acted like he didn't see it. He went to take off Arthur's undershirt, but the prince resisted. "It's alright, I'll just sleep in this." He insisted.

"But, I have a perfectly good shirt here."

"I don't care, it's fine."

"Are you hurt?" Merlin asked him. Arthur's heart began to race.

"No, no, I'm fine."

"You can't even stand properly!" Merlin sighed. "Arthur, you can tell me what's wrong."

"There are things you cannot understand! You are just a servant. I am a prince! What I do, how I act, affects the future of Camelot. You cannot understand how it feels to have so much to be responsible for. You cannot understand what it's like to let my father down. Not only is he my father, he is my king." Arthur looked down.

"Is this about your father? What's going on?"

"No! I just…" Arthur looked up at him, desperate for help yet knowing Merlin couldn't give it to him. He bit his lip. "You can go, Merlin."

"Let me help you into bed. I may not know what's wrong, but at least let me help with what I can." Arthur agreed, albeit reluctantly, knowing that without Merlin's help it was unlikely he'd ever get to bed. "You can tell me what's troubling you, Arthur." Merlin said as he left. "Perhaps I'll be able to understand more than you think. And, even if I can't, I'll be there for you. You can count on me." And then he slipped out the door, before Arthur even had the chance to say thank you.

Merlin felt so lost, even in the hallways he'd walked so many times. He forgot about his foot. He had never felt so helpless, wanting nothing more than to help Arthur. Perhaps he should go to Gaius… but then, Arthur would be upset at Gwen. Maybe he could tell Gaius without giving her away…

He pushed open the door and made his way inside. Gaius had dinner ready on the table for him, and Merlin took his seat. "Smells good. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome." They sat in silence, Merlin forgetting to eat, zoning out. He could do nothing but think of Arthur. His spoon slipped out of his hand and hit the table beside his bowl, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Oh, my bad." He began to clean up the drops of soup that had spilled.

"What's wrong, my boy?" Gaius asked, looking at him worriedly, noticing his sluggish pace and tired eyes. Merlin sighed.

"Nothing, Gaius."

"You know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

"Not this time. Not yet." Merlin looked up from his bowl. "I really wish I could, Gaius, I wish I could. But Arthur would be so upset... I can't do that to him." He closed his eyes for a moment, turning his head to the side.

"It'll be alright. I trust you to make whatever decision you believe is right."

"I don't trust myself, and Arthur certainly doesn't trust me."

"Merlin, you are tired. Finish your food and go to sleep. You will be well-suited to face whatever comes at you in the morning." Merlin nodded, finishing his stew with Gaius back in his seat. His thoughts had been drifting to possible beatings Arthur had suffered, wondered how long it had been happening. His mind took him to the thought of Uther murdering Arthur out of blind rage, Arthur's face as he lay dying at the hands of his own father, and it was too much. Merlin's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Gaius." His throat was tight, his voice betraying his emotions. The old man looked up, ready to comfort, to listen, to help. Merlin swiped his arm over his eyes, not allowing his tears to fall. "It's Arthur." His voice was not nearly where he wanted it to be, despite how hard he was trying to remain controlled. He rested his right elbow on the table and let out a single sob, unable to stifle the visualizations running through his mind. Gaius was by his side in an instant, resting a hand on his shoulder, allowing Merlin to regain himself. "Uther-" He choked out. "Uther…" Gaius could not quite make the pieces fit.

"What is it, Merlin?" The boy sat up straight, taking a deep breath, his mind working furiously to determine the best way to say this.

"Uther… is beating Arthur. I just found out today, I didn't know, but he's hurt! He could hardly move, but after the meeting, Uther hit him, and I don't know what else he might have-" As he spoke, the words became more rushed.

"Merlin! Slow down!"

"Uther is abusing Arthur. He's injured, Gaius. I don't know how long it's been happening." It was plain to see that a quiet, calm, well-deserved anger was rising up in Gaius. It was quickly masked by his professionalism as he went to gather his medical supplies together. "Wait-Gaius." Merlin said, and the old man turned around to face him. "Arthur hasn't come to me himself. Give me another day so that I can get him to confide in me, maybe learn details. If you go now, he'll be upset. Please, just a day." Gaius sighed.

"How badly is he injured?" Merlin bit his lip.

"I can't be sure. If it is very bad, I will come get you. I promise." Gaius still remained uncertain.

"You know I value Arthur's life far above my own. I was born to protect that man, and I intend to do just that until the day I die. When I say that I'll come get you, I mean it." Gaius hugged Merlin.

"I am so proud of you, Merlin. You've grown so much, you've become strong. I am so, so proud." Merlin buried himself deeply into his uncle's shoulder, all of the tension of the responsibility melting off of him for that sweet moment. His body trembled as exhaustion overtook him. Gaius held him tightly, knowing he needed the comfort. Then, he sent him to bed and cleared the table, beginning to make a pain draught for Merlin to slip into Arthur's drink the next morning.


End file.
